[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
It’s almost Halloween, and Zatanna’s been having a rough couple of days. She got into an argument with some bullies at school because they were harassing her friend. And it was SO weird – at one point, they all turned RED! Not like a blush, but their skin changed color. So strange….
Then Zatanna’s best friend ditched her, acting like Zatanna is too immature or too weird. Then Zatanna blew off her only other friend AND found out her dad lied to her.
And then, some crazy woman calling herself “the Witch Queen” broke into her house, used MAGIC on Zatanna, fought her dad, and then they both vanished.
With Pocus, a talking rabbit/animal spirit as her companion, Zatanna has to figure out how her father’s backward-words magic works and find him in this wonky House of Secrets before the Witch Queen takes the house away from their family and uses it for her own evil purposes.
Review
This was cute! I’ve seen this House before in an episode of Young Justice. It was fun to see it again in a new context. The library scene and the sphinx were my favorite parts of the story.
Zatanna changes a lot in the story. She learns things about herself and her family that she couldn’t have imagined at the very start. Her biggest challenges came from losing the “adult” characters who had always advised or protected her. She had to make her own way – although she did get help from a source she wasn’t expecting.
My only “complaint” is that the talking bunny had to be called a “familiar” which will put off some readers/families because of occult connections. I am not 100% familiar with Zatanna’s full history, but I know one of the villains has a “familiar,” so maybe that is part of the character’s history and would never be changed. But I feel like the bunny could have just been a magical talking bunny and left at that.
I love the confidence Zatanna has by the end – in herself and in her magic. She understands where she fits and she stands up for herself with Witch Boy. She also seems more confident in her own skin by the end. She’s found her footing and her purpose!